Some Reflection · 7:31pm Mar 26th, 2018
When I was younger, I wanted to make a living online like The Nostalgia Critic, Spoony, Linkara, etc. I really admired them and enjoyed their work. Channel Awesome seemed like a family: A strange, dysfunctional but fun family.
Well, ten years on, and the illusion is shattered. Spoony leeches off his dwindling fanbase, producing nothing. Linkara is leaving Channel Awesome after years of mismanagement and has his own issues. And Doug Walker just can't move beyond his character: He is trapped, and unable to really do anything better. And everyone else has skeletons in their closets and toxic drama.
Meeting your heroes and learning they are not just human, but also terrible human beings, really makes you rethink things. It makes you reflect. I enjoy doing writing as a hobby, but if I could ever do it as a career? That's always been the question. So slowly, I have been working on doing that in little ways while still doing jobs I enjoy in the real world. I don't know if I'll ever make it, but I'm going to try while still preparing plans A, B, and C. And this very adult way of looking at the world, something that's been on my mind for years, is part of why I've distanced myself from MLP.
This fandom has been great... But is the investment of time and energy worth it in the long run? Should I think about things like that?
As Brad Jones observed in "To Boldly Flee", you can't ride the zeitgeist forever. How appropriate that he, of all the TGWTG producers, seems to be doing the best in his professional and personal life.
So I find myself finally admitting the truth, to myself and to you: This fandom is wonderful, but how much time and energy should I spend on it? How much can I do?
They're difficult questions to answer, and I'm still not sure of the answer. But I felt I owed you, my fans, a real explanation. Not just excuses. Maybe I'm overthinking things and I'll just find my muse tomorrow. Maybe the disappointment and grief I feel over these revelations will ease, and I'll find enjoyment in something fun again. But it is something I need to address.
only do as much as you want, While I love your Stories, I would never want you to feel obligated to write. I would want you to write because you want to and you enjoy it. sometimes you do just have to say I need a break.
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And at the very least, I'm not charging you for it. Frankly I just started my Patreon as an experiment. I may just close it down.
I've asked myself the question of "How much longer?" more than once. The answer's always been "As long as it's fun." And it's still fun. But I acknowledge that I'm probably not making a career of it. Different priorities will make for different answers.
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That would leave me $5 richer each month
Having never actually written anything I felt was worth publishing (still something on my fimfiction bucket list), I'm probably coming at this from a slightly different angle, but yeah, the feeling is recognisable.
Been on the site since halfway through S2, (I just went back and looked, seems like the first chapter of Hands was published two weeks before I registered. I think Progress may actually have been one of the first stories I read here
). Since then, I've often asked myself whether I was wasting my time on the site. Multiple times I've just not checked back in for months, only for some story or author to catch my eye and pull me back in.
In the end, it's always boiled down to what FanOfMostEverything already said: 4826082
As long as it's fun, as long as there's something here that holds your interest or that you feel like you can learn by hanging out here, either by reading or writing, do so. If it feels like a chore, if you feel you need to force yourself just for the sake of continuing... don't. That wouldn't be fair to you, and probably wouldn't make for great writing either. As long as you want keep writing here, I'll be happy to read.
This is, if anything, the most consistently repeated piece of advice I've heard from published authors. Make sure you have alternatives. This goes for almost any career, but for writing, and probably any form of art, doubly so.
Also, Fan, I just realised I've seen you around for years, but barely read any of the stories you published.
I might just do an archive binge and leave weird comments. Consider yourself forewarned
As someone who found and enjoyed your work since before ponies on fanfiction.net, I can safely say that you were always worth the wait.
If you say you need time, take it.
If you're ready to be done, I'll be sad, but your health is more important than my entertainment.
Funny you mentioned Channel Awesome. I unsubscribed from them yesterday. I only watched NC, but the constant unfunny extras in his videos and predictability were getting old. Plus the BS videos about what background chick though about movies spamming my feed wasn't helping.
As for your works of fiction, they were amongst my favorite when this fandom was spreading like wildfire. While I hope that you'll keep your muse or patreon afloat and treat it like a part-time side-job I wouldn't advise you make it your focus or at least not right away.
Maybe see if you rekindle fan interest after pumping out a few chapters of Hands to see if the option of full-time writing in the future exists?
I've been grappling with that, as well. I want to finish the ongoing stories I have here, but I have little enthusiasm for them anymore and I'm getting old enough to really need to concentrate on other things if I want to succeed in them. Like you I want to try and get stuff published for real, and this fandom, while fun and a great time, isn't exactly going to get that off the ground.
All I can say, man, is that you are under no obligation to do anything for us. And I ask you: if you do end up writing a novel, let us know, I want to buy one and read it and see what you can do with a full story.
As the Brits say, chin up, lad. Well, the ones that ain't throwing people into prison for making a joke, that is. Best of luck in whatever you do. God bless.
As a longtime fan from Seireitei Gigolo days (PLEASE VISIT THAT AGAIN SOMEDAY), I can honestly say that I have enjoyed your writing.
If I may offer my input?
Just...do it whenever.
If you have a moment of idleness.
If you can’t sleep one night.
If you are waiting in line somewhere.
Hell, if you just feel like it.
While we certainly don’t want you to leave, we understand if you do, and remember: you are not under obligation.
Do it as long as it is fun, as Fan said.
Adult world issues are hard. I thought of similar things, how fun it'd be to produce creative content, but I decided I probably couldn't be consistent enough with producing it nor be capable enough to run my own 'business'. So I opted to get a boring office job as a document controls technician for construction project. Its not terribly difficult, but its time consuming, practical and desperately needed. Not what I got my Engineering degree for, but its good safe money all the same. I took the safe road, but even then, the world is on you to improve, learn more useless skills and limit your free time. Its been a long while since I even read anything here, and I got chapters, but not much time. I don't have an answer for you bro, but know that your struggle is understood and shared. I grapple with anxiety over if I made the right career choice and no matter what you choose, doubt will likely linger. Or maybe I'm projecting. Good luck on whatever path you choose.
Truly would be sad to see you go. Totes has it right though the fandom is just a time filler for most of us. After all, we all can't be Jack Nicholson or Meryl Streep. Again that being said I have loved/love
your work over the years. Just last week did a full reread of your works. Even over catching up on some other followed stories new chapters.